A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen

“He was a beautiful creature, there was not doubt about that. But it wasn’t just that. There was something else about bob. It was his personality that was attracting the attention. People could sense something about him.”

James is trying to get his life together. He’s living in housing for recovering drug addicts and he is determined to beat the habit, but he’s also been determined before. One day, he notices a cat in the hallway of his apartment building. He thinks it must be someone’s cat and even starts asking neighbors after a few days. No one lays claim, so James takes him in temporarily … or so he thinks at first.

I saw the preview for the movie based on this book and knew I had to read the book first. There was only a short waiting list at the library for it and it didn’t take long to read. It’s an incredible story of the power of animal companionship.

The book is set in London and the version I read left the British lingo, which took some time to figure out. James get the cat healthy and they eventually lay claim to each other. He names the cat Bob and they settle into a routine until one day Bob follows James to work. His work is as a street musician. People talk to him more and give him more money when Bob is with him. Bob then inspires him to take the final steps to rid himself of his drug addiction.

James had difficult relationships with his family and moved around a lot as a child. Bob made him feel loved, needed and wanted. He wanted to become better because Bob depended on him for his care. The power of animal love can be strong and it in fact saved James’ life.

I would highly recommend this book to any animal lover or anyone who may see the movie. It’s a great story. There is talk of drugs, so it’s probably best for high school ages and older.

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About Sarah Anne Carter

Sarah Anne Carter is a writer and reader. She grew up all over the world as a military brat and is now putting down roots with her family in Ohio. Family life keeps her busy, but any spare moment is spent reading, writing or thinking about plots for novels.